What a revelation today’s recipe is for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake), and with no lingering taste of the vinegar that’s added
A Fabulous, Light & Fruity Egg Free Cake
What a revelation today’s recipe is for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake). With no lingering taste of the vinegar that’s added, it’s light and fruity, with a soft crumbly texture.
However, “Vinegar cakes” weren’t just popular during the wartime era – using vinegar in cake making was countrywide practice when the hens “were off lay”.
So, although those thrifty and heavily rationed housewives knew a thing or two, so did farmer’s wives and country folk who kept hens – my own paternal grandmother included.
She came from Swaffham in Norfolk, and the other name for this Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake) is Norfolk Vinegar Cake, as it was very popular in this English county.
Nofolk is a very rural county, and my grandmother’s family owned a smallholding, where they reared and kept rabbits, goats, chickens, geese and ducks.
But, back to today’s recipe for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake) – I found a recipe for Vinegar Cake in Marguerite Patten’s book, “Feeding the Nation”.
I initially made that recipe, but it was very crumbly, and broke up when I turned it out of the cake tin! It tasted WONDERFUL though, and we had it with custard as a pudding.
I looked through all my old and vintage cookbooks and found numerous recipes for eggless cakes, all using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent.
Finally I discovered a Norfolk WI recipe for Norfolk Vinegar Cake, which I made, and which turned out beautifully, as you can see from the photos.
It IS still a very crumbly cake, and it breaks up easily on cutting, but at least I was able to turn it out of the cake tin! And, it tastes wonderful.
This is a fabulous recipe for those who may have an intolerance to eggs, or whose hens have gone “off lay” and are on strike!
You cannot taste the vinegar at all, and when vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as a leavening agent, giving cakes a light and airy rise.
Do try this lovely old recipe, it makes a lovely fruit cake that improves with keeping, espeically if made with butter and not margarine.
And, please let me know if you make it, Karen
Pin me for Later Baking
Culinary Notes
- Original recipe below: From Anne Hackett, Mulbarton WI
- Marguerite Patten’s Wartime Recipe for Vinegar Cake:
- INGREDIENTS:
- 6ozs SR Flour
- 3ozs margarine
- 3ozs sugar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 pint milk
- 3ozs to 4ozs dried mixed fruit
- METHOD:
- 1. Sift the flour. Cream the margarine and sugar.
- 2. Pour the milk into a large basin, add the vinegar and the bicarbonate of soda; the mixture will rise and froth in the basin.
- 3. Blend the flour and vinegar liquid into the creamed margarine and sugar then add the dried fruit.
- 4. Put into a greased and floured 7 inch tin, bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.
More Wartime and Ration Book Recipes
More Fruit Cake Recipes
Recipe for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake)
Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake)
Yield:
12 slices
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time:
2 hours
What a revelation today’s recipe is for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake). With no lingering taste of the vinegar that’s added, it’s light and fruity, with a soft crumbly texture.
However, “Vinegar cakes” weren’t just popular during the wartime era – using vinegar in cake making was countrywide practice when the hens “were off lay”.
So, although those thrifty and heavily rationed housewives knew a thing or two, so did farmer’s wives and country folk who kept hens – my own paternal grandmother included.
She came from Swaffham in Norfolk, and the other name for this Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake) is Norfolk Vinegar Cake, as it was very popular in this English county.
Nofolk is a very rural county, and my grandmother’s family owned a smallholding, where they reared and kept rabbits, goats, chickens, geese and ducks.
But, back to today’s recipe for Wartime Eggless Fruit Cake (Vinegar Cake) – I found a recipe for Vinegar Cake in Marguerite Patten’s book, “Feeding the Nation”.
I initially made that recipe, but it was very crumbly, and broke up when I turned it out of the cake tin! It tasted WONDERFUL though, and we had it with custard as a pudding.
I looked through all my old and vintage cookbooks and found numerous recipes for eggless cakes, all using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent.
Finally I discovered a Norfolk WI recipe for Norfolk Vinegar Cake, which I made, and which turned out beautifully, as you can see from the photos.
It IS still a very crumbly cake, and it breaks up easily on cutting, but at least I was able to turn it out of the cake tin! And, it tastes wonderful.
This is a fabulous recipe for those who may have an intolerance to eggs, or whose hens have gone “off lay” and are on strike!
You cannot taste the vinegar at all, and when vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as a leavening agent, giving cakes a light and airy rise.
Do try this lovely old recipe, it makes a lovely fruit cake that improves with keeping, espeically if made with butter and not margarine.
Do let me know if you make it, Karen
Ingredients
- 450g (1lb) plain flour
- 225g (8ozs) unsalted butter, or margarine
- 225g (8ozs) caster sugar
- 450g (1lb) dried mixed fruit
- 275ml (1/2 pint) milk
- 2 tablespoons malt vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Pre heat oven 180C / 160 C fan assisted oven/350F /gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 23cm (8″ or 9″) round tin with baking paper.
- Place the flour in a bowl, rub in the butter or use food processor.
- Stir in the sugar and the mixed fruit. Measure out the milk. Remove one tablespoon of milk and add to a small bowl.
- Add the malt or cider vinegar to the larger amount of milk.
- Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the tablespoon of milk in the small bowl and ensure it is fully dissolved. Add this to the milk and vinegar mix, wait and a gentle frothing will occur – allow for growth when choosing your bowl.
- Add the milk mix to the dry ingredients and stir in gently but thoroughly.
- Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin, level the surface. Bake for 30 mins then reduce the heat to 150C /130Cfan/300F/gas mark 2.
- Bake for approximately a further hour until a skewer comes out clean. Check after 40 mins. Cover loosely with foil if it is browning too quickly.
- Leave to cool in tin before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Notes
Original recipe above: From Anne Hackett, Mulbarton WI
Marguerite Patten’s Wartime Recipe for Vinegar Cake:
INGREDIENTS:
6ozs SR Flour
3ozs margarine
3ozs sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 pint milk
3ozs to 4ozs dried mixed fruit
METHOD:
1. Sift the flour. Cream the margarine and sugar.
2. Pour the milk into a large basin, add the vinegar and the bicarbonate of soda; the mixture will rise and froth in the basin.
3. Blend the flour and vinegar liquid into the creamed margarine and sugar then add the dried fruit.
4. Put into a greased and floured 7 inch tin, bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12
Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving
Calories 67Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 3mgSodium 114mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 1g
